Wok on: Devonport kitchen spices up winter

It can be seriously cold in Tasmania over winter - but one Devonport eatery is heating things up with its hot wok dishes. 

Mr Good Guy is warming up the north-west coast by championing the wok as the ultimate cold-weather kitchen remedy until the end of August. 

High heat, bold scents and sizzling sauces from chef Muhammad (Momo) Fadly aim to lock in the flavour and warmth with different wok dishes rotating weekly throughout the season. 

The restaurant’s Winter Wok menu features dishes including fragrant Phad Kra Pa Moo, comforting La Na, wok-flamed Bò Lúc Lắc and fiery Mie Aceh. 

The Winter Wok dishes sit alongside Mr Good Guy’s signature favourites of pork belly bao, hawker-style plates designed for sharing, and the restaurant’s take on classics like sweet and sour pork.  

Located on Devonport’s waterfront inside Novotel Devonport, Mr Good Guy has been serving south-east Asian inspired food and cocktails since opening in 2022. 

Phad Kra Pao Moo is wok-tossed pork with Thai holy basil, garlic and chilli, finished in a fragrant oyster-soy glaze, while Lad Na, also from Thailand, stars wide rice noodles layered with meat and Chinese broccoli in a savoury gravy. 

Bò Lúc Lắc, translated as “Shaking Beef”, is a Vietnamese dish with wok-flamed beef cubes tossed with garlic and cracked pepper, finished with fresh herbs and a lime dipping sauce, while Mie Aceh is spicy Acehnese noodles tossed with prawns and slow-cooked beef, infused with aromatic spices, lifted with fresh lime and crispy shallots. 

* Novotel Devonport is Devonport's premium 4-star hotel in the heart of the city. See https://mrgoodguy.com.au/whatson/winter-wok-spice-up-your-off-season/

Spice up your weekend on the Sunshine Coast

Some like it hot. They will enjoy The Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival that is returning to Spicers Tamarind Retreat on the weekend of August 2-3.

Visitors to the sprawling 18-acre property just outside Maleny will be served a spicy blend of flavours from the region’s Asian restaurants, along with live music, chilled drinks and market stalls. 

And visitors are being encouraged to make a weekend of it with Spicers Tamarind Retreat’s ‘Complete Packages’ that include either a one night/one day experience or two nights/two days.

The festival will showcase street-food style dishes from the Spirit House restaurant, as well as local favourites Rice Boi, and the Retreat’s own Tamarind Restaurant led by Sunshine Coast native and  executive chef, Daniel Jarrett.

As a flagship experience of the award-winning Curated Plate Food and Drink Festival, the Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival will work with the Curated Plate festival’s culinary director, Peter Kuruvita.

“This is not just a celebration of incredible food and drink - it is also a testament to the collaborative spirit of the Sunshine Coast’s leading Asian-inspired restaurants,” Kuruvita said. 

Chef Jarrett (below) says the Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival is about putting on a feast of local produce for a happy crowd.

 “For all of these chefs, it’s an opportunity to put a spotlight on the amazing produce we get to use every day," he said. 

"We’ll cook for more people in an afternoon than we’d usually see in a week.” 

This year The Tamarind will be serving Dan’s own recipe, barbecued half-shell scallops with roasted chilli jam, a coconut dressing and Asian herbs.

The Tamarind Oyster Bar will also make a return alongside a champagne bar and desserts crafted by locals Maleny Food Co. 

The Tamarind Oyster Bar will showcase fresh oysters with yuzu ponzu while Rice Boi from Mooloolaba is returning to the festival with dishes including black sesame prawn toast with mandarin dashi caramel, dressed with a mayo made with sesame-based goma shabu sauce.

The Spirit House in Yandina will offer Phat Wag wagyu beef sate skewers, with a rich black Indonesian sate sauce and acar pickle.

To match the food on offer, several of the Sunshine Coast’s own beverage producers will be pouring the drinks.

Return buses will run to Spicers Tamarind Retreat from Noosa, Caloundra and Mooloolaba on both Saturday and Sunday. A park-and-ride shuttle will also run between Spicers and Cooke Park in Maleny throughout both days.

The two-day / two-night package begins on Friday, August 1, with dinner at Tamarind Restaurant, breakfast on Saturday morning, tickets to the festival on Saturday, a cheese and charcuterie feasting board on Saturday night, and breakfast on the Sunday. Prices start from $2,516 for two guests. 

Full details are available here: https://spicersretreats.com/events/sunshine-coast-asian-food-festival-2025/

For festival ticket prices and all other details seet: https://thecuratedplate.com.au/page/sunshine-coast-asian-food-festival

How to spice up your Easter treats

Chilli chocolate sauce? Sounds like a great way to spice up Easter. 

Sydney inner west-based The Chilli Factory, one of Australia’s leading boutique producers of chilli sauces, salsas, and other hot and spicy condiments, will officially launch four new products at The Royal Sydney Easter Show.

Chilli lovers visiting The Chilli Factory’s stand in the Woolworth’s Dome will have the opportunity to try the new gourmet range of chilli oils, chilli honey, and chilli chocolate sauce.

Red Belly Venom is a new hot chilli oil, ideal for infusing into stir fries or noodles. A milder chilli oil, Daintree Drizzle, works perfectly as a drizzled salad dressing.

Ballistic Bee Sting, meanwhile, is a hot chilli honey made from 100% Australian honey infused with locally grown chillies.

And for those seeking to make desserts a spicy affair, Cranky Croc Choc is a hot chilli chocolate sauce, perfect for pouring over ice cream.

“Our new gourmet range products are all chilli infused, giving them an authentic taste,” said Daniel Morgan, general manager of the Sydney-based The Chilli Factory (above).

“We’re excited to be giving Australian chilli lovers more versatile chilli products which can be enjoyed individually or complement their favourite foods at home.”

The Chilli Factory is an Australian-owned company and all products in the new gourmet range are made in Australian using Australian chillies.

Sauces ranging from the mild Numbat Nibble (1,700 Scoville Heat Units) to the extreme Scorpion’s Strike (1.27 Million Scoville Heat Units).

“Naturally, the Chilli Factory attracts long-term chilli fanatics at the Easter Show,” said Morgan. “But each year we notice an increase in new visitors learning more about the subtle and not so subtle nuances of chilli.

“We ensure visitors are aware of the heat of our chillies before trying them and always suggest a less is more approach is the sensible tasting option for seasoned and newbie chilli tasters alike.”

Beginning over 30 years ago, The Chilli Factory has gone from making a few bottles of chilli sauce as a hobby, to the best gourmet chilli sauces and chutneys available in Australia, winning over 160 awards along the way.

As a service to readers, I have volunteered to try the new releases and will update with tasting notes when I have done so.   

For more information, visit https://www.thechillifactory.com

# This is an edited version of a story that appeared in Ciao Magazine. 

Yarra festival celebrates food with serious heat

It is always a joy to visit the Yarra Valley, but even more so when it is celebrating one of its many gourmet festivals.

Highlighting multicultural Australia through food, The Herb and Chilli Festival returns in 2023 celebrating spice, flavour and fun.

The Herb and Chill Festival will be held on March 18-19 and is founded and organised by nursery owners Di and Clive Larkman.

Over 20 different cuisines will be featured through tastings, eating competitions and cooking demonstrations, along with entertainment for all ages.

The itinerary includes a cooking class run by a surprise celebrity chef, blues music performed by Steve Boyd’s Rum Reverie and there will also be the Stinger Wing Challenge for those foolhardy enough to enter.

With a passion for herbs and chilli, the Larkmans and their family are now into the 11th year of this celebration of fiery food.

They encourage festival-goers to get outside their comfort zone and experiment with unique flavours and cultures on show ranging from Mexico, Turkey, India, South America and many more.

The Stinger Wing eating race sees the brave trying to survive eating five super hot wings coated in mouth-numbing hot sauce.

The Larkmans have made getting to and from this year's festival easier than ever with the introduction of the festival's very own Chilli Express Bus. The bus will be completing trips from Lilydale Station every half hour from 9.30am-4.30pm and returning on the hour from 10am to 5pm. Tickets are $10 return and can be bought online in conjunction with a festival ticket.

Tickets for the event are $27 for adults and kids under 14 are free. See https://herbchillifestival.com.au/

Eat like a Thai - in downtown Melbourne

It is a Monday night and the Melbourne CBD is close to deserted. The exception is a queue outside a small Thai restaurant on Bourke Street.

When I sit down in Isan Soul I find I am one of the few non Thais in the joint. I take that as a good sign.  

Isan Soul promises "Thai Street Food" - and it delivers. 

The food is great - and terrific value - but don't expect any airs and graces.

You order your food either by using an app, or heading to the counter, where you'll get a 5% discount for paying cash.

You'll be told you have 75 minutes to order, eat your food and depart, although I didn't see that being enforced.

Anyway, this is a place to grab a quick and tasty treat, not a venue for a long sit-down supper. 

It is bustling and engagingly chaotic with tables constantly being turned over. There are two-storeys with some quirky decor, including a real tuk-tuk.

I ordered prawn cakes with a sweet chilli dipping sauce ($8, above)), chicken, vegetable and cashew stir fry (below) for $13.90 (a sizeable serve which came spicy as ordered), some jasmine rice ($3) and a Mason jar with lemon, lime and bitters ($6).

With my discount I got away with a bill for just under $30, which was excellent value.

The menu features traditional Thai street dishes like pad Thai, pad see ewe, hot basil chicken and Thai papaya salad. There can be a hot and sour Isan kick if you like a bit of spice in your life.

My verdict: tasty, fun and affordable.

Isan Soul is at 98 Bourke St., Melbourne. Phone (03) 9654 0606.